Federal employee facing child porn charges

Russo a paralegal in U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

A U.S. Customs and Border Protection employee from suburban Boynton Beach is facing federal child pornography charges, according to court documents filed this week.

Richard Russo, 54, made his first appearance in federal court Thursday on charges of possession of child pornography. Russo has worked as a paralegal specialist in the Fines, Penalties and Forfeiture division of border patrol, according to the court documents.

In July and November of 2017, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children received two tips about suspected child porn being uploaded and shared. The graphic photos and videos involved adults sexually assaulting teens and infants.

After further investigation, authorities discovered the tips were connected to the same person in Oakland Park in Broward Count y. That person, who was only identified by the initials “RS,” was sending child pornography on the messaging app “Whatsapp” to someone named “Ritchie.”

Authorities later discovered “Ritchie” was Russo after obtaining his phone number through Whatsapp.

Additionally, Russo sent a photo of himself to “RS” and investigators compared that photo to his driver’s license.

Authorities said “RS” is in custody in Broward County jail pending a trial on related charges and that there were other individuals involved.